


Legolas Greenleaf Expanded Biography

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Other - Freeform, Research Article
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2003-01-18
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4221356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Biographical information on Legolas Greenleaf</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heritage and Family

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

**Authors’ Notes**   
_This is the first chapter in the expanded biography on Legolas Greenleaf. This article discusses what is known (and what is not known) about many aspects of Legolas’ background. I have attempted to carefully evaluate all source material and where appropriate include speculation and alternate theories._

*****  
 **Heritage and culture:**  
Because The Lord of the Rings is written from the Hobbits’ point of view, we are often granted only occasional glimpses into the lives of the other interesting characters in the story. Events in their lives that lie outside of the action of the tale are often only alluded to, if mentioned at all. One character whom many people find fascinating, and who is sketched into the fabric of the story with tantalizingly vague strokes, is Legolas the Elf. Tolkien chose to leave many of the details of Legolas’ life to the readers’ imagination, so it becomes a bit of a challenge to draw an accurate picture of the Elven Prince as Tolkien envisioned him. Clues do exist, though they are scattered throughout Tolkien’s writings like pieces of an incomplete puzzle. I hope in this article to bring together as many of these pieces as possible, and to examine them closely to glean from them many of the fragments of information that they hold.

Details about Legolas’ family background are fairly sparse. The Prince of Mirkwood, though never once called by that (or any other title) in any of Tolkien’s writings, is stated to be the son of Thranduil – the Elven-king of The Hobbit. _"There was also a strange Elf clad in green and brown, Legolas, a messenger from his father, Thranduil, the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood." (The Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring)_ And on the Plains of Rohan, Aragorn introduced his Elven companion to Éomer simply as _“…Legolas of the Woodland Realm, in distant Mirkwood.” (The Riders of Rohan, The Two Towers)_ Appendix B of LOTR states that _“before the building of Barad-dûr many of the Sindar passed eastward, and some established realms in the forests far away, where their people were mostly Silvan Elves. Thranduil, king in the north of Greenwood the Great was one of these.”_

Much of the information we have concerning Legolas’ father Thranduil and grandfather Oropher comes from portions of essays published in Unfinished Tales. These sources often contain conflicting accounts and while some of it seems to be generally accepted, it is still open to interpretation and considered controversial.

According to the accounts in Unfinished Tales, Legolas’ family (at least on his father’s side) came from Doriath in Beleriand. Thranduil and Oropher were among the Sindar of Doriath who crossed the Misty Mountains and settled among the Silvan Elves there. Oropher is not mentioned in LOTR or its appendices. In one account these Sindarin adventurers are said to have wanted to blend with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and lifestyle and taking Silvan names. _This they did deliberately; for they … came from Doriath after its ruin and had no desire to leave Middle-earth, nor to be merged with the other Sindar of Beleriand, dominated by the Noldorin Exiles for whom the folk of Doriath had no great love. They wished indeed to become Silvan folk and to return; as they said to the simple life natural to the Elves before the invitation of the Valar had disturbed it.” (UT: Appendix B, The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves)_

The Elven Prince’s name may or may not reflect this desire to merge with the Silvan Elves, though the name was established long before this essay was written. In Letter #211 (Letters) Tolkien states that _“Legolas means ‘green-leaves’, a woodland name – dialectal form of pure Sindarin laegolas.”_ And again in Letter #297, _“Legolas is translated Greenleaf (II 106, 154) a suitable name for a Woodland Elf, though one of royal and originally Sindarin line.”_ Whether or not Oropher and Thranduil _intentionally_ merged with the silvan culture, one _could possibly_ interpret events to indicate that that is what eventually happened. For though Sindarin by descent (Elvish descent seems to be reckoned through the father’s line) Legolas embraced the culture of the Wood-elves and identified himself as Silvan. _“‘That is true,’ said Legolas. ‘But the Elves of this land were of a race strange to us of the silvan folk, and the trees and the grass do not now remember them.’ ” (The Ring Goes South, FotR)_

The quote from UT asserts that Oropher and those with him had adopted the language of the Silvan Elves. Elsewhere in the same essay Tolkien states that _“Thranduil, father of Legolas of the Nine Walkers was Sindarin and that tongue was used in his house, though not by all his folk.”_ However, in UT: Appendix A, The Silvan Elves and their Speech, Tolkien tells us that _“By the end of the Third Age the Silvan tongues had probably ceased to be spoken in the two regions that had importance at the time of the War of the Ring: Lórien and the realm of Thranduil in northern Mirkwood.”_ The continually evolving nature of Tolkien’s mythology left behind many ambiguities, of course, and these conflicting statements regarding the status of Silvan Elvish cannot be reconciled. We can be certain though, regardless of whether or not the Silvan tongue continued to be spoken in Mirkwood, that the language of the Elves of Third Age Middle-earth was Sindarin. In Appendix F of LOTR it is stated that Sindarin was _“the tongue of all those Elves and Elf-lords that appear in this history. For these were all of Eldarin race, even where the folk that they ruled were of the lesser kindreds.”_

Being a Sindarin prince Legolas would undoubtedly have been quite well educated, however, it is improbable that he knew Quenya given the attitude of his grandfather towards the Noldor. The use of Quenya had been banned thousands of years earlier and had long since become a language of lore. The Noldorin Exiles adopted Sindarin as their daily language and even in Lórien _“Sindarin had become the language of all the people.” (Unfinished Tales, Appendix B, The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves)_

So we can conclude that Sindarin would have been Legolas’ native tongue, possibly along with Silvan. He was clearly proficient in the Common Speech (Westron). He may also have known the language of the people of Dale, as their own language was still in daily use and the Wood-elves likely had dealings with them long before Westron spread that far east (according to “The Appendix on Languages” found in Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME XII). My guess is that he probably would have known little if any Quenya.

Again drawing from the essays in UT, the folk of Thranduil’s Realm are said to have long ago migrated from the south, being related to and once dwelling near the Elves of Lórien. In LOTR, when welcoming the Fellowship, Celeborn greets Legolas as a kinsman, so it would seem that Thranduil and Celeborn, both originally from Doriath, could possibly have been related. _"Welcome, son of Thranduil! Too seldom do my kindred journey hither from the North." (The Mirror of Galadriel, FotR)_ It is also possible that the kinship he speaks of refers to their common Elvish or Sindarin heritage rather than any actual familial relationship. It would seem that by the time of the War of the Ring Thranduil’s people had put their prejudices in their past, or perhaps the Woodland prince did not share his elders’ views, as Legolas seemed thrilled upon the occasion of his first visit to Lórien.

Returning to UT: Appendix B as a source, we read that during the Second Age Oropher resented the intrusions of Celeborn and Galadriel into Lórien and the power and proximity of the Dwarves of Moria. Therefore, he began to move his people northward through Eryn Galen, the Great Greenwood; the immense forest which was their home. After Sauron moved into the southern part of the forest (About TA 1000) Oropher continued to move north, until eventually, under Thranduil, the Elves settled in the far northeast corner, establishing his stronghold in a cave system after the manner of Thingol’s Menegroth.

**Family and age:**  
We have no information at all concerning Legolas’ mother or whether or not the prince had any siblings. Nor do we know when he was born. Thranduil (presumably with Oropher) established his realm in Greenwood the Great before the year 1000 of the Second Age (Appendix B, LOTR). So, the Elven-king would be at least 5460 at the end of the Third Age. Unless Legolas came with them from Doriath, he was probably born somewhere in Mirkwood. That Legolas is not mentioned as having been present at the Battle of the Last Alliance lends support (but no proof) to the theory that he was born sometime in the Third Age. There is no way to know.

Many readers notice Legolas’ exuberance, playful attitudes and curiosity and surmise that he must be relatively young (for an Elf) and there is reasoning to support that theory. Michael Martinez, in his article, “Speaking of Legolas,” hypothesizes that if Legolas had been born near the end of the Watchful Peace (TA 2063 – 2460) that could explain both his youthful behavior and his limited travel experience. A birth date of TA 2460 would make him 559 in TA 3019. However, Legolas himself makes several comments in LOTR that indicate that he does not consider himself to be young – at least not while in the company of the Fellowship. Of Fangorn Forest he says, _“ ‘It is old, very old,’ said the Elf. ‘So old that almost I feel young again, as I have not felt since I have journeyed with you children. It is old and full of memory. I could have been happy here, if I had come in days of peace.’ ” (The White Rider, The Two Towers)_ And when riding among the Huorns he comments, _"These are the strangest trees that ever I saw", he said; "and I have seen many an oak grow from acorn to ruinous age. I wish there were leisure now to walk among them; they have voices, and in time I might come to understand their thought." (The Road to Isengard, The Two Towers)_

Oak trees can live as much as 700 hundred years or more, indicating that Legolas would probably be somewhat older than that. On the other hand, his remarks could very well mean that he has seen thousands of years go past. However, if one prefers the “young Legolas theory” consider this: possibly for Legolas, spending an extended amount of time in the presence of so many mortals may have simply accentuated his sense of age, prompting comments that he would not have made had he been among his own people. It certainly caused him to ponder the contrast between elven and mortal perspectives and elvish perceptions of the passage of time. _“Legolas stirred in his boat. ‘Nay, time does not tarry ever,’ he said; ‘but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both very swift and very slow. Swift, because they themselves change little, and all else fleets by: it is a grief to them. Slow, because they do not count the running years, not for themselves. The passing seasons are but ripples in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.’ ” (The Great River, FotR)_

In my opinion his remarks indicate that even if Legolas is not particularly old for an Elf, neither is he exceptionally young. Living 800 years would leave its mark on a person, even if he were considered young compared to others of his kind. He assuredly felt the weight of age when among his mortal companions. Yet a comment like “ ‘Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood in my home since then,’ said Legolas, ‘and but a little while does that seem to us.’ ” (The King of the Golden Hall, The Two Towers) could suggest as much a reflection of elvish perspective as personal experience. Though he might have lived in Mirkwood longer than the Rohirrim had dwelt in Rohan, he may have acutely perceived the paradox if he was still considered young by other Elves. But, again, there is far too little evidence to come to any decisive conclusion.


	2. Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biographical information on Legolas Greenleaf

**Author’s Notes**   


  
**Bold – Events involving Legolas - mostly from Appendix B – LOTR,  
**
     …including a few additional details from text of books
  
_Green – theoretical conclusions or events that are only_  

  
     theoretically connected to Legolas
  
Normal text – events that do not directly involve Legolas

 

  
**  
Important Events in Legolas’ life:  
**  


_Dob: Unknown: according to “ Watchful Peace theory”:_  
     * estimated dob TA 2063 – 2460 
  
2460 – Watchful Peace ends  

2463 – Gollum acquires the One Ring  

2470 – Gollum hides in the Misty Mountains  

2770 – Smaug descends on Erebor; Dale destroyed  

2911 – the Fell Winter  

_2941 – Dwarves captured and imprisoned in Mirkwood.  
_
     _The Battle of Five Armies (*estimated age: 481 - 878 )_
  
2956 – Aragorn and Gandalf meet  

3009 – Gandalf and Aragorn renew their hunt for Gollum  

     at intervals over the next 8 years  

_3017 – Gollum captured by Aragorn in the Dead Marshes and_  

     brought to Thranduil in Mirkwood. 
  
  
_3018 – June 20th – Approximate date when Thranduil is attacked_  

     and Gollum escapes  

     (*estimated age: 558 - 955) 
  
     August – all trace of Gollum is lost.   

     _October 25 (?) - Legolas arrives in Rivendell (?- exact date unknown)_  

     **October 25 – Council of Elrond**  

     _Scouts (Legolas probably among them) leave 25th & 26th _  

     for various destinations - including Mirkwood
  
     **December 25 – Fellowship leaves Rivendell at dusk  
  
**
 **3019 – January – 8 - Company reaches Hollin  
**
     11-12 – Snow on Caradras  

     13 - Attack by wolves, Company reaches Moria Gate  

     14 – Night in Hall 21  

     15 – Bridge of Khazad-dum, fall of Gandalf  

     17 – Company reaches Lórien   
  

February –16 – Farewell to Lórien  

     23 – boats attacked at night near Sarn Gebir,   

     Legolas shoots down flying Nazgul  

     25 – Company passes Argonath & camp at Parth Galen  

     26 – Breaking of the Fellowship: death of Boromir,   

     Merry & Pippin captured  

     27 – Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas reach west-cliff at sunrise.   

     Aragorn finds Pippin’s elven brooch near noon  

     30 – They meet Éomer on Plains of Rohan, ride to Fangorn,   
  

March – 1 – Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli (The 3 Hunters)   

     meet Gandalf the White & set out for Edoras  

     2 – Gandalf & the 3 hunters come to Edoras, Theoden healed  

     3 – The 3 hunters go with Théoden to Helm, battle begins  

     4 – The 3 hunters & Théoden set out for Isengard  

     5 – The 3 hunters & Théoden reach Isengard at noon,   

     reunited with Merry & Pippin  

     Gandalf sets out with Pippin for Minas Tirith  

     6 – The 3 hunters meet the Dúnedain in early hours,   

     Théoden leaves for Harrowdale, then later,   

     the 3 hunters leave for Dunharrow   

     7 – The 3 hunters (w/Dúnedain) reach Dunharrow at nightfall  

     8 – Paths of the Dead at daybreak, Stone of Erech at midnight  

     9 – 3 hunters travel from Erech to Calembel,  

     Darkness begins to flow from Mordor  

     10 - the Dawnless Day, The 3 hunters cross Ringlo  

     11 – The 3 hunters travel from Linhir to Lebenin  

     12 – The 3 hunters drive enemy towards Pelargir  

     13 – The 3 hunters reach Pelargir and capture fleet  

     15 - Battle of the Pelennor
  
     (Battle under the trees in Mirkwood.   

     Thranduil repels the forces of Dol Guldur.)  

     **16 –** (Debate of the Commanders)   

     **Legolas and Gimli visit Merry & Pippin   
**
    **18 – Host of the West marches from Minas Tirith  
**
     **19 – Host reaches Morgul-vale  
**
     **23 – the Host passes out of Ithilien,  
**
     **Aragorn dismisses the faint-hearted  
**
     **24 - Host camps in the Desolation of the Morannon  
**
     **25 – the Host is surrounded on the Slag-hills. Passing of Sauron.  
**
     **Return to Ithilien (exact date unknown)  
**
     28 –
Destruction of Dol Guldur begins in Mirkwood  
**April 6–** Day of the New Year of the Elves,   

     Meeting of Celeborn and Thranduil, Mirkwood renamed: Eryn Lasgalen  

**April 8 – Ringbearers honored on the Field of Cormallen  
**
 **May 1 – Crowning of King Elessar  
**
 **June – Fellowship remains in Minas Tirith  
**
 **Mid Years Day – Wedding of King Elessar and Arwen  
**
 **July 19 – Funeral escort of King Théoden sets out  
**
 **August 7 – Escort comes to Edoras  
**
     10 – Funeral of King Théoden  

     14 – guests take leave of King Éomer  

     18 – Arrive in Helm’s Deep, Legolas and Gimli   

     tour the glittering caves  

     22 – Come to Isengard, the travelers take their separate paths.   

     Legolas and Gimli head for Fangorn  
  

During the following weeks and months:  

     Legolas and Gimli visit Fangorn Forest
  
     _Legolas takes Gimli to Erebor, then_  

     **Legolas returns to Mirkwood  
  
  
**
Over the following century:  

     Legolas founds settlement in Ithilien and helps Aragorn rebuild Gondor  

     Legolas creates beautiful gardens for Faramir
  
  
Year F.A. 120 - March 1 – Passing of King Elessar   

     **“Then Legolas built a grey ship in Ithilien, and sailed down Anduin  
**
     **and so over Sea; and with him, it is said, went Gimli the Dwarf.”**

  
  



	3. Physical Descriptions:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Biographical information on Legolas Greenleaf

**Appearance and hair**  
The good Professor gave us little to go on in the way of physical description for many of his characters, and Legolas was no exception. Most references to his appearance consist of vague comments including the term "fair" which Tolkien apparently used to convey both the meaning ‘of light complexion’ and ‘good looking’. _" 'Alas! alas!' cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress." (The Council of Elrond, FotR) "Together the Elf and the Dwarf entered Minas Tirith, and folk that saw them pass marveled to see such companions; for Legolas was fair of face beyond the measure of Men …" (The Last Debate, RotK)_

The most complete description he gave is not found within the pages of LOTR, but was penned in one of his letters. Those remarks were recorded in Christopher Tolkien’s commentary in The Book of Lost Tales II: _"He was tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgul, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship." ( The Book of Lost Tales, II, The History of Eriol or Ælfwine, p. 333, 1992 Del Rey edition)_

In general Tolkien described Elves as _"...tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finarfin; and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that now is heard." (LOTR, Appendix F)_ And of the Sindar in particular he says: _"Elwë himself had indeed long and beautiful hair of silver hue, but this does not seem to have been a common feature of the Sindar, though it was found among them occasionally, especially in the nearer or remoter kin of Elwë (as in the case of Cirdan). In general the Sindar appear to have very closely resembled the Exiles, being dark-haired, strong and tall, but lithe. Indeed they could hardly be told apart except by their eyes; for the eyes of all the Elves that had dwelt in Aman impressed those of Middle-earth by their piercing brightness. For which reason the Sindar often called them Lachend, pl. Lechind ‘flame- eyed’." (Quendi and Eldar, War of the Jewels, p384)_

Though the statement characterizing most Elves as having dark hair, being from LOTR, is considered canon, it should be noted that in the drafts of the LoTR appendices, as well as in Tolkien’s earlier mythology, Elves were predominantly blond, and only the Noldor were dark haired. Christopher Tolkien wrote, _“I pointed out that the words “’They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod [Finarfin]’ were originally written of the Noldor only, and not of all the Eldar…” (HoME XII, The Appendix on Languages, p. 77)_

The color of Legolas’ hair has been an oft-debated subject. As Tolkien stated that most Sindarin Elves had dark hair, that would appear to be the obvious assumption, and by far the option with the most evidence to back it. But then, there is the paradoxical description of Legolas’ father, Thranduil, the Elvenking of The Hobbit: _"...and at the head of a long line of feasters sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair..." (Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit)_ Of course, the Elves of The Hobbit are from a much earlier and somewhat different mythology, and many details cannot be correlated directly to LOTR. (For instance, Glorfindel’s name and golden hair are relics of Tolkien’s earlier writings.) And even if one accepts that Thranduil had golden hair (though it cannot be conveniently explained in light of Tolkien’s later statements) it does not guarantee that his son did also. However, it does make it at least a slight possibility. Silver hair also seems less than likely, even given the somewhat nebulous possibility that Thranduil may have been somehow akin to Celeborn.

In Fellowship of the Ring we find this passage: _"Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the black pools of the sky behind." (The Great River, FotR)_ Keep in mind that in this instance it was very dark and Legolas was silhouetted against the night sky. Even light hair could have appeared dark under those circumstances. Again the evidence is inconclusive and the statement is open to interpretation.

Hair color among Silvan Elves is not specified by Tolkien; though it is described in The Hobbit as ‘gleaming’. And consider the following excerpt from FotR, giving the description of an Elf of Lórien. The speaker here is Haldir: _"’There is one of my people yonder across the stream,’ he said; ‘though you may not see him.’ He gave a call like the low whistle of a bird, and out of a thicket of young trees an Elf stepped, clad in grey, but with his hood thrown back; his hair glinted like gold in the morning sun." (Lothlórien, FotR)_ This Elf could have been a member of Lórien’s Silvan population, or a Noldor with Vanyarin heritage, or even a silver-haired Sinda in golden morning light... So, though far from conclusive, there may still remain a possibility that for whatever reason, JRRT envisioned some Elves – Elves without and clear Vanyarin heritage – having golden hair.

**Eyes**  
Within the text of Lord of the Rings, Tolkien made several references to the sharp eyesight of the elves: _" ‘You have the keen eyes of your fair kindred, Legolas,’ he said; ‘and they can tell a sparrow from a finch a league off.’ " (Gandalf to Legolas, Helm’s Deep, The Two Towers)_ And though the Elves who had dwelt in Aman were said to possess extraordinarily piercing bright eyes, that description would, of course not apply to Legolas. Even so, Legolas' eyes are often described as 'bright'. _"But Legolas stood beside him, shading his bright elven eyes with his long slender hand." (The Riders of Rohan, TTT) and "Legolas turning to speak to Gimli looked back and the Dwarf saw before his face the glitter in the Elf’s bright eyes." (The Passing of the Grey Company, RotK)_

In HoME XI _(Quendi and Eldar, author’s note 34, p. 416)_ Tolkien points out that Elves had an elaborate system of gestures, _“In genuine independent use mainly employed between persons out of earshot: the Elves had astonishingly acute eyesight at a distance.”_

In LOTR, Legolas sighted and counted the Rohirrim at a distance of about 5 leagues (approximately 15 miles). He could even tell that there were three empty saddles. _“’Yes,’ said Legolas, ‘there are one hundred and five. Yellow is their hair and bright are their spears. Their leader is very tall.’”_ Yet, the Elf did not seem to consider this unusual at all. _“Aragorn smiled. ‘Keen are the eyes of the Elves, “’ he said.”  
“’Nay! The riders are little more than five leagues distant,’ said Legolas.” (The Riders of Rohan, TTT) _

I think there had to be something about elven eyes that made them an identifying feature for Elves. The brightness, the light, the piercing gaze – whatever it was I think it was distinctly non-human – enough so that it was unnerving to many mortals. When someone looked into elvish eyes they knew that Elves were different.

As with humans, I believe the Elves’ eyes often revealed their emotions, even when they were successfully concealed otherwise, from the perpetual elven sadness to their exuberant joy of living. Legolas certainly displayed a playful sense of humor and I’m sure the sparkle of merriment would often be seen in his eyes. His abiding curiosity would also be reflected in his expression. The sea-longing would have added a soul-deep, ever-present wistful element to his gaze.

But I think the most remarkable feature of elvish eyes would be that only there the impression of just how old they were would be revealed. The store of knowledge and wisdom possessed by some would have been enormous and that would contribute to the effect, but the sheer weight of years, the phenomenon of having lived for hundreds (or thousands) of years – it had to show in their eyes – for the eyes are the window to the soul…  
  
 **Voice**  
In LOTR there are at least a couple of instances where characters were, at least in part, recognized as being Elves by their distinctive voices: _"Together the Elf and the Dwarf entered Minas Tirith, and folk that saw them pass marveled to see such companions; for Legolas was fair of face beyond the measure of Men, and he sang an elven-song in a clear voice as he walked in the morning…" (The Last Debate, RotK)_ And there was Glorfindel’s greeting to Aragorn: _"When he saw Strider, he dismounted and ran to meet him calling out: Ai na vedui Dúnadan! Mae govannen! His speech and clear, ringing voice left no doubt in their hearts: the rider was of the Elven-folk." (Flight to the Ford, FotR)_

In Lórien, when the Hobbits hear Haldir and company in the tree above them, Merry inquires who they could be: _“ ‘Who are they and what do they say?’ asked Merry.  
‘They’re Elves,’ said Sam. ‘Can’t you hear their voices?’ ” (Lothlórien, FotR) _

I would imagine their vocal range being greater than that of mortals and the timbre of their voices I would imagine being richer and fuller also. The Elves' beautiful clear voices, their Sindarin speech and the ethereal quality of their songs added up to a sound that was uniquely elvish. Glorfindel only called out a greeting, yet it was characteristic enough to establish his Elven identity. Legolas’ song as he approached Minas Tirith that morning may have contributed to Imrahil’s ability to recognize him as an Elf.

**Apparel & weapons**  
We are introduced to Legolas at the Council of Elrond where Frodo meets him for the first time. _"There was also a strange Elf clad in green and brown, Legolas, a messenger from his father, Thranduil, the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood." (The Council of Elrond, FotR)_ His attire clearly resembled that of his people, the Wood-elves, described in The Hobbit: _“There were many people there, elvish looking folk, all dressed in green and brown...” (Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit)_ Though the dress of the people of Mirkwood was further embellished as _“green and white gems glinted on their collars and their belts” (Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit)_ there is no mention of gems on Legolas’ clothing.

While battling the snow upon Caradhras Frodo also noted the Elf’s footwear: _"...(Legolas) had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint on the snow." (The Ring Goes South, FotR)_ This was corroborated by Tolkien’s comment in BoLT II: _“...so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship." (The Book of Lost Tales, II, The History of Eriol or Aelfwine)_

His weapons consisted of _“ a bow and quiver, and at his belt a long white knife.” (The ring Goes South, FotR)_ The knife was described as _“ silver hafted”_ in The King of the Golden Hall, TTT. And Galadriel’s gifts to him were: _“... a bow such as the Galadhrim used, longer and stouter than the bows of Mirkwood, and strung with a string of elf-hair. With it went a quiver of arrows.” (Farewell to Lórien, FotR)_

*****  
Many thanks to the members of Mellonath Legolas for their invaluable help in compiling these articles! _Hannon lîn, mellyn nîn!_  
*****


End file.
